We’re going to close out the forwards portion of our “What’s Next” for the Boston Bruins series with this entry on the prospects we didn’t cover in the two previous posts on the subject. These are players who are either unsigned (NCAA) or out of Europe. Some are closer to making a possible impact (Anders Bjork) than others (Ryan Donato), but this more proof that the B’s have a lot of options within their organization, and that doesn’t include the next talent boost, with the 2017 NHL Entry Draft about five weeks away.

So, in the spirit of the previous post- here’s a list of the players we think are going to not only challenge for NHL jobs sooner than later, but will also make an impact:

Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson aka “JFK” earned his second consecutive Hockey East player of the week honor after his BU Terriers defeated reigning HEA champs- the Northeastern Huskies- over the weekend. He shared the honor with BC’s Austin Cangelosi, scoring the opening goal in the clinching 3-2 win Sunday, while assisting on the other two, culminating in a Chad Krys-winning strike with about 25 seconds left in regulation.

Breaking news alert- We’re hearing via a reliable NHL source that JFK turning pro after the NCAA season wraps is close- (EDIT- we’re going to take a step back and soften the language since the source is not JFK- we were wrong to write the post with such definitive language and for that we apologize to JFK and- K.L.) The BU sophomore is leaning towards signing with Boston at the conclusion of his final sophomore year contest. While he’s not a dynamic player who will grab you, JFK’s game is all about the details- he does everything well and coaches love having him because of the high trust factor. That’s not to say that he grabs you with blistering speed or pace on every shift, but for those who are students of the game, JFK needs no explaining- he just gets it. And, you win with players like him in your lineup at any level. We’re not sure if he’ll play in Boston right away or sign an ATO to finish the year in Providence, but we do feel strongly that JFK’s Boston debut is not that far off, regardless of how things play out in the immediate timeline.

The 65th Beanpot championship is in the books and for the first time since 1993, a team not named Boston College or Boston University has won it, with the Harvard Crimson grabbing the trophy Monday night at the TD Garden.

The game between Harvard and the BU Terriers featured four Bruins prospects, and for the BU guys, it was an obviously disappointing night as the team sought a record 31st Beanpot title.

The championship’s outcome was not so much about Charlie McAvoy or Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson playing poorly (though neither had particularly strong performances) as it was about Harvard rising up and then Ryan Donato putting an exclamation point on the win with a great individual effort. Teammate and 2013 fifth-round project pick Wiley Sherman is enjoying a solid junior season in Cambridge as well.

With 16 goals in 25 games including 5 in his last two, Donato is starting to show the hockey world the sheer offensive acumen that saw him drafted in the second round after David Pastrnak in 2014. As a junior with Dexter, he potted nearly 3 points per game and rode that to a 56th overall selection in Philadelphia. Now, Donato is taking his game to another level as a sophomore after a solid freshman campaign. He began to really put things together at the end of the 2014-15 season when he finished the year (after Dexter lost the 2015 prep championship to Salisbury) out in Nebraska with JFK and the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. Lancer fans still talk about how impressive Donato was in his short time there and rue the fact that he wasn’t able to spend the whole season on that club.

He’s got elite offensive hockey sense with tremendous hands and a will to compete and win. Last year about this time, TSP interviewed Donato after losing in the 2016 Beanpot tourney and the soon-to-be 21-year-old declared that the Crimson would be back in 2017, and that winning one for the first time since just after his dad left the team to join the U.S. Olympic squad and then the Bruins at the conclusion of the 1992 Albertville Winter Games was something he was determined to achieve.Donato’s third period goal is worth watching over and over, because it shows that determination that is easy to talk about in an interview, but harder to pull off when the game is on the line.

There is also no need to rush Donato into the mix. He’s a sophomore and the Bruins can afford to wait another year before signing him, however- there is always a thought about the ticking clock on when he could become an unrestricted free agent. Like Anders Bjork, he will be eligible to sign with any team after August 15, 2018 (though he’s still NCAA-compliant to play through the 2018-19 season if he doesn’t turn pro). However, given his history with the city of Boston and the Bruins, it would be hard to imagine Donato passing up a chance to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing for the Black and Gold.

For now- the Scituate native is one more impressive prospect to keep an eye on.

We’re one month into the recent publication of the New England Hockey Journal’s annual Boston Bruins prospects ranking- we always do it in January, so we have about half a season to gauge how the kids look before ranking them.

Well, what can we say? There’s already some buyer’s remorse and after conversations with several people we trust and value as professional talent evaluators, we thought we’d take another stab at the B’s top-10 with a fresher perspective. Consider it an alternate take- a sort of Bizarro World version of the published list, with the impact of other ideas and rationales applied to some of the players who rose and fell.

Ultimately, the exercise reminds us all that opinions are varied. No matter how well you might rank order players, you’re never going to achieve 100 percent consensus, and that should not be the goal. You call it like you see it and you either stick to your guns and stand by your convictions or you don’t. At the same time, it is important in a fluid situation such a hockey season, to maintain room to allow your views to evolve.

Editor’s note- The Scouting Post contributor Dominic Tiano is back with a thoughtful piece on the second and third-order effects of the recent announcement by the USHL to modify its import roster player rules.Dom’s instincts and conclusions are sound- one more example of the forward thinking that has brought the USHL into prominence under Commissioner Bob Fallen’s stewardship.

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Earlier this week, the United States Hockey League announced several rule changes, but there are a couple that I will look at and the possible effects on every level of junior hockey in Canada.

The first is the USHL Import rule, and this change that takes effect next season:

· Canadian Imports: Applicable only to the Tier 1 USHL, the USA Hockey Board of Directors granted the USHL permission to roster up to two Canadian-born citizens as non-imports. Presently, each USHL team is allowed up to four (4) import roster positions on their 23-man rosters. This rule change would allow USHL teams to carry a maximum of six (6) imports as long as the two extra import players are Canadian.

On the surface, this rule change allows USHL teams to add two extra Canadians to their rosters. I’ve always been in favor of more options or opportunities for players to choose from when deciding which path is best for them. But could this have an impact on junior hockey throughout Canada?

One of the more unheralded Bruins prospects this season is Slovak (by way of Sweden) winger Peter Cehlarik. The AHL rookie (note- we don’t say rookie pro because he’s been playing pro hockey at Sweden’s highest level against men since he was 17) is having himself a year- he potted four goals and six points over three games last week to move to the top of Providence’s scoring list.

The 90th overall pick in 2013 has a good NHL body with the hands and hockey sense to score goals. His skating has been a work in progress since the B’s drafted him, but he’s fine in the open ice. Where Cehlarik gets exposed a bit is in his short-area game and burst, where he doesn’t possess above average acceleration and agility- it takes him a bit to get going, and he’s susceptible to getting behind the play when there are quick changes of direction in the common possession style that more and more pro teams are employing in the AHL and NHL.

TSP spoke to Bruins player development director Jamie Langenbrunner recently and he had some intriguing perspectives to share about Cehlarik’s success to date, and perhaps why he has not as yet gotten a chance to make an appearance with the big club in Boston despite his 18 goals and 30 points in 36 AHL contests.

“I think the first thing that stands out is his ability to make a play,” Langenbrunner said. “It started with what he did at rookie camp in Buffalo and that was the first time I’d seen him. He’s NHL-sized; he’s a good-sized kid- he’s pretty strong, pretty well-built. I think you’ll continue to see him make plays because he’s got really good vision and hands.”

Cehlarik’s natural skill set has earned him high marks to date as a player who developed in the larger ice surface in Sweden with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League. However, even with the production both overseas and here under Kevin Dean at Providence, there are some adjustments the 21-year-old is still working through in his first North American season.

“For Peter, the one adjustment where you play on the bigger sheet (of ice in Europe), although there’s more room, I find that the game is slower there,” said Langenbrunner. “With that added space, you keep everything to the outside, so adjusting to the North American rink where everything happens a little quicker and you want to those first few steps- you want to get that speed- it is what it is and you either have that or not. But just those first few steps to get those areas a little quicker and a little bit harder on pucks- the short-area burst is such a big part of hockey, and to be able to translate that at the National Hockey League level and getting into those areas is important because if you don’t have the time, then you’re not able to jump into those areas.”

This is not to say that Cehlarik isn’t capable of coming in and helping out the B’s in an area that has been their biggest concern this year- generating consistent scoring- it’s just that as hard as it can be for outside observers to recognize at times, there are things that happen behind the scenes that sometimes drive outcomes as they pertain to personnel decisions. In other words- it isn’t just about the goals, and when there are identified areas of improvement, those can delay the arrival of a player to the NHL who appears to have what is needed on paper.

“I think for him, the biggest adjustment he’s struggled with or has so far is the pace of play,” Langenbrunner said. “He’s going to have to get his level up just a little bit to play at the NHL level. He’s been very good in Providence so far, putting up points, but at times, when you’re talking about playing in back-to-back games and whatnot, it will get to him a little bit. For him, it’s an adjustment coming from over to North America and he’s put up nearly a point per game in the AHL, which is pretty darn good, so he’s been a nice surprise. I know for the coaches and for us beyond the production, it’s going to be that consistency and bringing that pace to another level to be able to create a little more.”

As was the case last year with Frank Vatrano, at some point- a player’s ability to put the puck in the net at a high level will often force a team’s hand. With Boston struggling to mount any kind of consistency on offense and having their backs against the proverbial wall, it is probably time to see what the young Eastern European forward can do. He just might provide a spark that is so needed in Boston right now, and unlike other young pros who come straight out of major junior- he has a leg up in terms of the competition he faced prior to arriving to the AHL. Langenbrunner, himself a graduate of the Peterborough Petes of the OHL in major junior, understands that players like Cehlarik and even Vatrano, who came out of the U.S. NTDP and the collegiate ranks, have a built-in advantage in terms of their experience right out of the gate.

“Sometimes the difference between a college kid and a major junior kid is that a lot of those college kids are playing against 24 or 25-year-old men,” he said. “Whereas the junior kids are 19 or 20-year-olds, which is a big difference in size, strength and consistency that you will see go in and out of 17 or 18-year-old kids’ games, whereas the older you get the more mature you are in your game.”

At this stage of a third consecutive up-and-down season in danger of missing the NHL playoffs, Cehlarik will only likely help. Perhaps instead of trading for a proven scorer, part of the answer could come from within the Bruins organization.

Zach Senyshyn couldn’t catch a break. Now, nobody seems to be able to cause him to break stride, as he tallied all three Soo Greyhounds goals in a major 3-2 OT home win against the OHL powerhouse London Knights for his fifth three-goal game (one of those was a 4-goal “Texas hat trick” because everything is bigger in the Lone Star State, you know) of the season.

Back in July, Senyshyn wasn’t able to participate in Bruins development camp because he was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis. Then, before the start of rookie camp in September, the team announced that he had undergone an emergency appendectomy and was going to miss the second annual futures mini-tourney in Buffalo.

To top it off, the 15th overall pick in 2015 struggled to score out of the gate, not surprising for someone recovering from an appendectomy, who had also had his offseason conditioning work interrupted by mono. After a mundane October and November, Senyshyn got himself firmly on terra firma in December and hasn’t looked back since, now sitting with 27 goals in 34 games with the Greyhounds. For perspective, in his draft year, he had 26 in 66 contests as a fourth-liner. And that, folks, is what we in these here parts call…progress.

What’s more, this latest three-goal game featured the 19-year-old scoring all of them in different ways- he’s not a one-trick pony. He can blow the puck past a goalie with a wicked shot from the outside, or he can drive the net and put away the garbage. He’s got a nifty backhand that he can use to good effect and Senyshyn has demonstrated repeatedly that he handles the puck well in tight when he doesn’t have a lot of space to operate in. If you aren’t encouraged by the numbers and the breakdown, then you might want to consider renting a room from Mr. Grinch.

But, but…he didn’t make Team Canada at the World Jrs! Sputter those with agendas to see the young man fail. We don’t know about you, but while watching that tremendous gold medal match between the USA and Canada, we couldn’t help but think that the Canadians sure could have used a 6-3, 200-pound winger who can flat-out fly down the wing and score goals…especially in that 20-minute up-and-down overtime period. We’ll never know, but one has to believe that Hockey Canada can only rue the decision to leave him home. Regardless, anyone who tries to argue that because Canada made a bad choice means the Bruins did too (by drafting Senyshyn ahead of several players who couldn’t get it done at the WJC), only looks more and more foolish as time goes on.

He sits just one marker away from netting 100 goals in his OHL career. In fact, since the B’s drafted him to great fanfare (tongue firmly planted in cheek there), Senyshyn has 72 goals in 100 games with the Greyhounds. If that sounds like pretty good numbers to you, that’s because they are. Tyler Seguin had 69 goals in 124 career OHL games before Boston made him the second overall pick in 2010. Now, we’re not saying that Senyshyn is going to be the star scorer in the NHL that Seguin is, but if you do believe that there is a correlation between two players coming out of the same developmental junior league, then there is reason to believe that Senyshyn will find a way to put the puck in the net at the NHL level.

This is not to say that he’s ready for primetime and will be an immediate impact player at the highest level. It’s too early to be projecting whether Senyshyn will be able to break camp with the Big Bruins next fall. What we do know is that he’ll have to finish his season in the OHL before he does anything else. With the Soo Greyhounds sitting near the top of the league standings, they’re expected to go far in their quest for the 2017 Memorial Cup, which is bad news for B’s fans hoping to see him in Providence at the end of the AHL regular season. Barring an upset, the soonest we can expect to see him either in Boston or on the top farm club is next fall, but for now- enjoy the fireworks.

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2016 fifth-rounder Cameron Clarke scored his 1st NCAA goal for the Ferris State Bulldogs in 2017. The NAHL’s top defenseman a year ago with the Lone Star Brahmas (in Fort Worth, TX), Clarke is a late-bloomer (he’ll turn 21 and was taken in his final window of draft eligibility) from Michigan who has good height, vision and hands to move pucks effectively. He’s a project pick and will take a while to get there (if he ever does), but thus far, is doing all right in his first taste of NCAA hockey.

If there were any skeptics left wondering if Charlie McAvoy had the stuff to be a top-flight 2-way defenseman in the NHL one day, that train has pretty much left the station after his player of the game and tourney all-star selection in helping lead Team USA to its third gold medal at the World Jr. (Under-20) Championship since 2010.

The 14th overall selection in 2016 scored USA’s first goal of the game, cutting into Canada’s 2-0 lead (the second goal having been scored by fellow future Bruin Jeremy Lauzon). McAvoy was the trailer on the play, taking a pass from BU teammate and Minnesota Wild prospect Jordan Greenway before lasering the shot over Canada goalie Carter Hart’s glove hand.

The 2017 World Junior (Under-20) Championship started on Dec. 26 in Toronto and Montreal for Groups A & B in the round robin portion of the annual NHL prospect extravaganza that will run into the first week of January.

The Boston Bruins have five players (four defensemen and one goaltender) currently competing in the tourney: USA’s Charlie McAvoy and Ryan Lindgren; Jeremy Lauzon on Team Canada, Czech Republic D Jakub Zboril and goaltender Daniel Vladar round out the group. Guys who did not make the cut for their respective countries: Zach Senyshyn (Canada) and Oskar Steen (Sweden). Trent Frederic was not invited to the USA evaluation camp portion, but he was coming off of a hand injury that might have influenced USA Hockey’s decision to have him return to school. We don’t know for sure, but watch for Frederic to be solidly in the mix for the 2018 USA WJC squad. Canada did not even invite Jesse Gabrielle to the eval camp, which is probably more of a reflection of his not being part of the Canada Program of Excellence than anything else- you would think that a gritty power forward who can score and affect game flow with his physicality would be of value, but apparently not enough in Canada’s eyes. With both Canada and USA winning their opening games, the rosters look fine for now.

Harvard’s Ryan Donato also had multiple goals, while another Ryan- Minnesota freshman defenseman Ryan Lindgren, tallied his first career NCAA goal, finishing off a 2-on-1 with Rem Pitlick in a loss to Ohio State Saturday night.

Additionally, Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen had a two-goal games for Notre Dame and the Providence Bruins (respectively) Friday night, and Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson added a goal in BU’s win over Providence College that same evening.

Senyshyn’s Texas hat trick (if “everything” is bigger in the Lone Star State and 4 > 3, ergo- a four-goal game is Texas-sized) came against the Barrie Colts one year to the day that he performed the same feat- December 2, 2015 against the Sudbury Wolves. In this one, Senyshyn accounted for all of the Soo Greyhounds’ goals, tallying in overtime on a nice spin-around to protect the puck, shake the defender and drive right to the net for his 13th marker of the season in 22 games. He’s ba-a-a-a-ck!

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Going on a bit of a rant, here- so bear with us.

It can be grating that whenever we post a positive update on either one of Anders Bjork or Jesse Gabrielle on Twitter, people seem to constantly respond with concerns about their signing status. Here’s the TSP take: we fail to see what the big que pasa is right now. Yes, we’re going to use that analogy again- FAST FOOD mentality- to describe fans who can’t ever seem to be happy with what is going on and want to overly dissect and analyze everything down to the gnat’s ass, including wanting every contract move and decision resolved in the immediate. Look, we get it- if we weren’t stressing over what the Bruins might or might not do with their sizable stable of futures on Twitter or elsewhere, whatever would we do with ourselves? At some point, you just have to enjoy what is happening and let the pieces fall when the time comes.

Bjork is well on his way to his best season in college? No, we’re afraid he’s going to “pull a Vesey” even though he’s still some 20 months away from August 15, 2018- the absolute earliest date that he could walk away from the Bruins and become a free agent. Gabrielle on another 40+ goal pace for the second consecutive season in the WHL? Dammit, Bruins- why haven’t you signed him already??? Never mind the fact that the B’s drafted six major junior players in 2015 and have successfully signed the first five…Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, Zach Senyshyn,Brandon Carlo and Jeremy Lauzon. Gabrielle is next, and they have until June 1 to make him a “bona fide” offer to retain his rights. It’s going to get done, folks- he grew up cheering for the Bruins and they’re the team that put their faith in him when everyone else passed until the mid fourth round. If it doesn’t happen and the B’s lose one or the other somehow, then we’ll be totally wrong and you can remind us of this post all you want. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Look- there’s no guarantee that the Bruins will sign both of Bjork and Gabrielle, but there are no indications that it won’t happen either. They’ve got 27 goals between them with room for a lot more, so for now, our advice is to enjoy the fireworks and don’t sweat the small stuff. Rookie salary caps and the like have put an end to the days when Hall of Fame-caliber junior players like Kyle Wanvig could just refuse a team’s offer and fax machine jams could result in them going back into the draft. Yes, the CBA allows for players like Jimmy Vesey and Matt Benning to name a few to become free agents and sign elsewhere, but those experiences are making teams like Boston wise to playing the longer game so that they don’t lose the assets. Again- there is no reason to assume that Bjork is in the same place Vesey was in terms of how he approaches his pro hockey future, so until he actually turns down an offer from the B’s, we should just let it play out for now. There is such a thing as paralysis by analysis, after all.